Plug-in Power for Ships Reduces Emissions

People living near the Port of Lübeck can now look forward to a major reduction in pollution from shipping. This is because the northern German city has commissioned Germany’s first shoreside power supply for merchant shipping. Developed by Siemens, Siharbor makes it possible for ships berthed in port to draw power from the local grid, rather than producing it themselves with onboard diesel generators. Compared to the use of marine diesel fuel, this reduces emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) by 35 percent, of nitrogen oxides by more than 95 percent, and of fine particulates by 90 percent — calculated in terms of the European energy mix. The solution is part of Siemens’ environmental portfolio, which generated €17 billion in sales for the company last year.

The installation of a shoreside power supply at the Lübeck port’s Nordland dock means berthed vessels can now use the electricity generated by power plants. All they need do is to hook up to a dockside connection point — comparable to a household socket — by means of a cable and plug-in connector. Swedish shipping line Transatlantic is the first customer to use the power from shore.

The shoreside power supply in Lübeck operates only at 50 Hertz because vessels that berth there all use that frequency. On around two-thirds of all ships worldwide, however, the onboard network operates at 60 Hertz, so supplying these vessels with shoreside power in Europe will require an adjustment to the frequency. This is why Siemens has developed the Siplink system, the core element of the Siharbor shoreside power supply. Siplink features two converters connected via a DC link, and each is connected to a power supply network. In this way, Siplink is able not only to supply a separate network from a distribution network but also to adjust differing power supply networks to one another and couple them.

Shipping represents the lion’s share of freight traffic worldwide. At present, more than 90 percent of all global trade involves transport by sea, which produces roughly the same amount of CO2 emissions as air traffic. What’s more, combustion of marine diesel fuel produces significantly higher emissions of sulfur and fine particulates than other fuels.